SEVERED TIES: PROVIDING THE SUPPORT OF THE TRACING SERVICE TO RELATIVES FOR RE-ESTABLISHING AND SAFEGUARDING FAMILY CONTACTS, AND SEARCHING FOR MISSING FAMILY MEMBERS

Abstract

The SRC tracing service was founded in connection with the Geneva Conventions and the Act on the Slovenian Red Cross (ZRKS). The main task of the Service is the restoration and protection of family links. These are activities aimed at preventing separation of family members, maintaining communication between family members, and finding those who are missing. During the Covid-19 pandemic, volunteers in local environments managed the maintenance of contact between residents of retirement homes and their family members. In 2021, the Service strengthened its response in the event of an earthquake (SIQUAKE exercise). In 2022, efforts were focused on preventing the separation of families on their routes from Ukraine, and enabling the preservation of family ties between people from Ukraine who sought refuge in Slovenia and their closest relatives who had remained in Ukraine. In response to the armed conflict in Ukraine, the Central Tracing Agency (CTA) in Geneva has activated a special bureau to facilitate the search for answers to the fate of missing family members with whom contact has been broken.